Device for Removing the Moisture from a Wet Mop

ABSTRACT

A device for wringing out a mop with a flat holder on the underside of which a mop cover is disposed. The device includes a wringing device, embodied as a squeezing device with a press roller and a counter-surface. The press roller and the counter-surface form a through gap between them for the holder and the mop cover and are arranged and aligned such as to be able to press the holder together with the mop cover between them to wring out the mop cover. The press roller and the counter-surface may be relatively adjusted by a single adjuster either manually or automatically and set to defined selectable separation values.

The present invention relates to a device for removing the moisture from a wet mop, with a flat holder, on the underside of which a mop cover is disposed, with a moisture removal device, configured as a squeezing device, having a squeezing drum and a counter-surface, the squeezing drum and counter-surface forming a through gap between them for the holder and mop cover and being set up and disposed in such a manner that they can press the holder together with the mop cover together between them to remove the moisture from the mop cover.

A wide press for removing the water from a wet mop cover stretched on a holding plate is known from DE 39 13 698 A1. There the pressing drum, which is connected to a frame, and two pressure rollers disposed at a distance above form a spatially fixed squeezing channel. In order to be able to remove the water from mops of differing dimensions, provision is made to change the position of the pressure rollers correspondingly, for which purpose the securing means of the pressure rollers are configured as detachable. However this generally requires the use of a tool and is also so complex that an adjustment only seems justified when the mop is changed.

In contrast, in the case of the device known from EP 0 609 187 A1 the respective pressure drum presses the wet mop against the squeezing drum by way of a spring-loaded lever in each instance. This means that it is easier to adjust the squeezing force and therefore the required residual moisture in the wet mop; it is however disadvantageous that two separate lever devices are required for this purpose, which is not only more complex technically but also requires separate adjustment to a respectively identical degree at both levers.

The object of the invention is to improve a device of the type referred to in the introduction, such that the degree of moisture removal from the wet mop can be adjusted in an easily reproducible manner.

According to the invention this object is achieved in that the squeezing drum and/or the counter-surface can be adjusted in relation to each other manually or in a driven manner by way of a single adjusting element and can be set permanently in a defined manner to selectable distance values.

The advantage achieved with the invention is essentially that selectable moisture removal values can be predetermined in a simple and reproducible manner, it also being possible to scale the adjusting element correspondingly so that it can also be implemented when using wet mops of differing thicknesses.

To move the holder and mop cover through the moisture removal facility, in a preferred embodiment of the invention a drive can be provided, which is able to act on the squeezing drum and/or the counter-surface or even to operate independently.

Provision is also made for the squeezing drum to be set up to be in contact with the mop cover and to extend over the entire width of the mop cover and for the counter-surface to consist of two pressure elements oriented axially in relation to each other, which form a gap axially between them. This allows even wet mops, which have a handle attached to the holder, to be passed through the device, the handle passing through the gap formed by the two pressure elements.

Provision is also made within the scope of the invention for the squeezing drum and the counter-surface to be formed by rollers, which are supported in a rotatable manner on bearing shafts by means of plain or ball bearings. It is then also possible for the drive to be configured as a rotary drive acting on the squeezing drum and/or the counter-surface, with the result that additional drive means are not required.

To prevent the occurrence of greater forces as the wet mop passes through the moisture removal facility, if for example coarse elements were to adhere to the mop cover, forming a projecting bulge, the squeezing drum and/or the counter-surface can be moved toward a spring element from their set mutual distance position to increase the through gap.

In a first advantageous refinement of the invention provision is made for the bearing shaft of the squeezing drum to be guided so that it can be displaced toward the counter-surface and to be disposed eccentrically in an eccentric that is configured such that it can be rotated and fixed, as a disk cam, and is in contact with a fixed bearing block. Rotating the eccentric causes the bearing shaft to be moved in its guide toward or away from the counter-surface, meaning that the mutual distance position can be influenced simply by rotating the eccentric. To this end the bearing shaft can be guided in such a manner that it can be displaced in longitudinal holes by bearing plates disposed respectively at the ends. In an alternative refinement the bearing shaft can however also be supported in slotted blocks that can be guided in a displaceable manner.

In order to be able to set the distance between the squeezing drum and the counter-surface in a simple manner, a knob is connected to the eccentric in a rotation-proof manner, coaxially in relation to the bearing shaft of the squeezing drum, to adjust the width of the through gap. This knob can be provided with a corresponding inscription or scaling, to allow simple and reproducible setting of the degree of moisture removal.

In a second embodiment of the invention the squeezing drum is disposed on a pressure lever supported in an articulated manner, the position of said pressure lever being able to be adjusted by way of an adjusting element provided with a knob. Here too the knob can be provided with a comparable scaling.

The adjusting element here is advantageously configured at least in a sub-area as a threaded rod and is guided in a threaded hole of a bearing element fixed to the device.

The pressure lever is expediently configured as a twin-arm lever, to one end of which the squeezing drum is connected and to the other end of which the adjusting element is connected in an articulated manner.

In contrast in a third advantageous refinement of the invention the squeezing drum can be moved by way of an electromechanical actuator to adjust the through gap. This opens up further possibilities, in particular that of a fully automatic adjustment, for example even to mops of differing thicknesses, by means of appropriate measures.

First it is recommended that the electromechanical actuator be driven by an electric motor or electromagnet given the electrical operating mode provided for in any case in the device or that it be configured as a memory metal with a reset spring. In the case of an electromagnetic drive it may be necessary in some circumstances to provide appropriate ratchets to fix the electromagnetically selected setting.

A force sensor can also advantageously be provided to determine the pressure force of the squeezing drum, the measured value of which can be displayed on a display unit. Additionally or alternatively it is also possible for this measured value to serve directly to activate the electromechanical actuator. It is also possible in this process to work out the degree of moisture from the determined force by way of an appropriate conversion, so that it is ultimately possible in this manner to regulate to fixed values of the degree of moisture.

The force sensor can for example be formed by a strain gage disposed on the spring element or lever.

It is however also possible for the force sensor to be formed by a piezoelectric element disposed on the bearing of the squeezing drum or counter-surface.

In a further development of the invention the device can also have a memory element, which is provided to store and call up preferred distance values. Tables can also be stored in this memory, which allow an assignment of measured pressure force to required residual moisture.

Finally it is also possible to provide a sensor directly for determining the residual moisture of the mop cover. This can be done using standard moisture sensors; however other measuring methods are also conceivable, such as a conductivity measurement over the length of the mop cover.

The invention is described in more detail below based on an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of a device for removing moisture from a wet mop together with a wet mop for use with the device as an exemplary embodiment,

FIG. 2 shows an enlarged partial view of the device according to FIG. 1 viewed from the front, together with the wet mop,

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the device according to FIG. 1 during operation of the device to moisten and remove moisture from the wet mop,

FIG. 4 shows a schematic detailed diagram of the moisture removal facility, viewed from the side in sub-figure a) and in cross-section in sub-figure b) and

FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment in a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 a.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a manually operated device 104 for moistening a wet mop 101. The wet mop 101 has a holder 102 attached to a handle 118 to hold a mop cover 103. The mop cover 103 is flexible and absorbent, so that it can be moistened to clean in particular floors using a cleaning fluid.

For moistening purposes the wet mop 101 is guided through the device 104 in the arrow direction by means of a guide 113, which has individual guide elements in the form of horizontally disposed plates. The guide 113 hereby guides the holder 102 in a horizontal position along a horizontal movement path above a nozzle 112. The nozzle 112 is connected by way of a fluid line 11 to a pump 108, which is disposed below on the base of a container 105, which forms the basis of the device 104. The container 105 contains a cleaning fluid 106, which can be taken in by the pump 108 by way of an input filter 107 and pumped through the line 11 to the nozzle 112. The fluid 106 can be sprayed through the nozzle 112 from below toward the mop cover 103 of the wet mop 101.

A sensor 114, for example in the form of a switch, is provided in the guide 113, to detect the presence of the holder 102 in the guide 113. As soon as the holder 102 is inserted into the guide 113 and this is detected by the sensor 114, a controller (not shown) activates the pump 108, so that the fluid 106 is sprayed upward through the nozzle 112. At the same time a motor-driven drive roller 110 is activated, which is disposed below the movement path. Two counter-rollers 109 are disposed on the side of the movement path opposite the drive roller 110, said counter-rollers 109 being disposed coaxially in relation to each other and being able to be rotated about an axis of rotation, which is parallel to the axis of rotation of the drive roller 110. The holder 102 can thus be drawn through between the drive roller 110 and the counter-rollers 109 together with the mop cover 103.

The distance between the drive roller 110 and the counter-rollers 109 is dimensioned such that the holder 102 with the mop cover 103 is gripped frictionally by the rollers 109, 110, so that it can be detected and driven.

The drive roller 110 extends over the entire width of the mop cover 103 perpendicular to the drive direction, so that it is in contact with the bottom of the mop cover 103 over its entire width. The two counter-rollers 109 are disposed respectively so that they are disposed over the edges of the holder 102 and the mop cover 103 in an extension of the width of the holder 102, leaving an intermediate space between them. The intermediate space between the rollers 109 is used for the passage of the handle 118 of the wet mop.

FIG. 2 shows the upper part of the device 104 together with the lower part of the wet mop 101, viewed from the front. It can be seen from this diagram that the counter-rollers 109 each consist of two cylinder segments 119, 120 disposed concentrically in relation to each other and having differing diameters. The smaller cylinder segments 119 are respectively disposed on the inside and the larger cylinder segments 120 are respectively disposed on the outside. This means that the gap between the drive roller 110 and the larger cylinder segments on the outside is smaller than the gap between the drive roller 110 and the smaller cylinder segments 119. The drive roller 110 is also connected to a motor 116 for the purposes of being driven in the direction of rotation.

It can also be seen from FIG. 2 that the mop cover 103 is wider in the direction of movement than the holder 102 and projects beyond the sides of the holder 102. The edges of the mop cover 103 projecting on both sides thereby form a cushion for the holder 102, which also serves as protection against damage to other objects, for example furniture, by the holder 102. Since the holder 102 has to be able to transmit force to squeeze out the mop cover 103, the holder 102 is preferably made of a rigid material, for example a metal, so that the holder 102 could damage other objects on contact. For this reason a projecting, cushioning mop cover 103 as protection is particularly advantageous.

In order also to be able to squeeze out the projecting parts of the mop cover 103, the smaller cylinder segments 119 are dimensioned such inside that they can squeeze out the holder 102 together with the part of the mop cover 103 below it on the drive roller 110 and the larger cylinder segments 120 are dimensioned such that they can squeeze out the edges of the mop cover 103 projecting beyond the holder 102 on the drive roller 110. To this end the height of the larger cylinder segments 120 in the axis direction is at least equal to the width of the projecting edge of the mop cover 103 and the diameter of the larger cylinder segments 120 together with the distance between the axes for the counter-rollers 109 and the drive roller 110 is selected such that the projecting edge of the mop cover 103 can be compressed therebetween.

As far as the smaller cylinder segments 119 disposed on the inside are concerned, it is only necessary that they are in contact with the holder 102 and can press it against the drive roller 110, in order to be able to squeeze out the part of the mop cover 103 covered by the holder 102. Between the two smaller cylinder segments 119 is a break or gap for passage of the handle 118. The narrower the gap, the more difficult it is to pass the handle 118 through. Conversely, as the gap narrows, the surface with which the smaller cylinder segments 119 press on the holder 102 increases and the bending moments acting on the holder 102 are thus reduced.

The two adjacent cylinder segments 119, 120 are supported on a common shaft coaxially in relation to each other, with both cylinder segments 119, 120 being able to rotate independently of each other.

The pressure of the drive roller 110 acting over the entire width causes moisture to be partially removed from the mop cover 103 again or fluid is pressed out of the mop cover 103. The fluid pressed out 106 runs onto an intermediate trap 117 and from there through a dirt filter 115 back into the container 105. As the wet mop 101 is guided through the guide 113, as shown in FIG. 3, the mop cover 103 is sprayed with cleaning fluid 106 from below so that the mop cover 103 is moistened and dirt contained therein can be rinsed out, and then moisture is partially removed again, so that it leaves on the right side of the device 104 with a defined moisture level. This means that the mop cover 103 does not drip during cleaning. The controller thereby also detects when the holder 102 clears the sensor 114 again or when the rear end of the holder 102 has passed the sensor 114 and then activates the pump 108 and drive roller 110 again for a specific time period, until the holder 102 has been drawn completely through the rollers 109, 110. Activation of the pump 108 can thereby also be terminated before activation of the rollers 109, 110.

In order to be able to set the degree of moisture removal from the wet mop in an easily reproducible manner, the squeezing drum 110 can be adjusted in relation to the counter-surface 109 manually by way of a single adjusting element 124 and can be set permanently in a defined manner to selectable distance values. This allows selectable moisture removal values to be predetermined in a simple and reproducible manner, this also being possible when wet mops 101 of differing thickness are used by corresponding scaling of the adjusting element 124 in a manner not shown in greater detail in the drawing.

To prevent the occurrence of greater forces as the wet mop 101 passes through the moisture removal facility, if for example coarse elements were to adhere to the mop cover 103, forming a projecting bulge, the squeezing drum 101 can be moved toward a spring element 125 from its set mutual distance position to increase the through gap.

In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 4 the bearing shaft of the squeezing drum 110 is guided so that it can be displaced toward the counter-surface 109 and is disposed eccentrically in a fixed eccentric 127 that is configured such that it can be rotated and fixed, as a disk cam, and is in contact with a fixed bearing block 126. Rotating the eccentric 127 causes the bearing shaft to be moved in its guide toward or away from the counter-surface 109, meaning that the mutual distance position can be influenced simply by rotating the eccentric 127. To this end the bearing shaft can be guided in such a manner that it can be displaced in longitudinal holes 128 by bearing plates 129 disposed respectively at the ends. In an alternative refinement (not shown in the drawing) the bearing shaft can however also be supported in slotted blocks that can be guided in a displaceable manner.

In order to be able to set the distance between the squeezing drum 110 and the counter-surface 109 in a simple manner, a knob forming the adjusting element 124 is connected to the eccentric 127 in a rotation-proof manner, coaxially in relation to the bearing shaft of the squeezing drum 110, to adjust the width of the through gap. This knob can be provided with a corresponding inscription or scaling, to allow simple and reproducible setting of the degree of moisture removal.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 5 the squeezing drum 110 is disposed on a pressure lever 130 supported in an articulated manner, the position of said pressure lever being able to be adjusted by way of an adjusting element 124 provided with a knob. Here too the knob can again be provided with a comparable scaling.

The adjusting element 124 here has a threaded rod 131 at least in a sub-area, said threaded rod 131 being guided in a threaded hole of a bearing element 132 fixed to the device. The pressure lever 130 is configured here as a twin-arm lever, to one end of which the squeezing drum 110 is connected and to the other end of which the adjusting element 124 is connected in an articulated manner.

The squeezing drum 110 can however also be moved by way of an electromechanical actuator to adjust the through gap. This opens up further possibilities, even that of a fully automatic adjustment, for example even to mops 101 of differing thicknesses, by means of appropriate measures.

The electromechanical actuator is driven by an electric motor or electromagnet given the electrical operating mode provided for in any case in the device. It can however also be configured as a memory metal with a reset spring. In the case of an electromagnetic drive it may be necessary in some circumstances to provide appropriate ratchets to fix the electromagnetically selected setting.

A force sensor is then provided to determine the pressure force of the squeezing drum 110, the measured value of which can be displayed on a display unit. This measured value can however also serve directly to activate the electromechanical actuator. In addition to the possibility of automatically adjusting the device to wet mops 101 of differing thicknesses, it is also possible in this process to work out the degree of moisture from the determined force by way of an appropriate conversion. It is even ultimately possible in this manner to regulate to fixed values of the degree of moisture.

The force sensor can be formed in the usual manner by a strain gage disposed on the spring element or lever or by a piezoelectric element disposed on the bearing of the squeezing drum or counter-surface.

In a manner also not shown in further detail in the drawing the device can also have a memory element, to allow the storing and calling up of preferred distance values. Tables can also be stored in this memory, which allow an assignment of measured pressure force to required residual moisture.

A further possibility for determining the residual moisture of the mop cover 103 results from the use of a sensor. This can either be configured as a standard moisture sensor; however other measuring methods are also conceivable, such as a conductivity measurement over the length of the mop cover 103 

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A device for removing moisture from a wet mop, the mop including a substantially flat holder and a mop cover disposed on an underside of the flat holder, the device comprising: a squeezing wringer including a squeezing drum and a counter-surface, said squeezing drum and said counter-surface forming a through gap therebetween for said holder and said mop cover and configured to press the holder with the mop cover together between said squeezing drum and said counter-surface to remove moisture from said mop cover; and a single adjusting element connected to adjust a spacing distance between said squeezing drum and said counter-surface and configured to enable manual adjustment of said squeezing drum and said counter-surface relative to one another and to permanently set a selected spacing distance in a defined manner.
 22. The device according to claim 21, which comprises a drive configured to move the holder and the mop cover through said squeezing wringer.
 23. The device according to claim 21, wherein said squeezing drum is configured to be in contact with the mop cover and to extend over an entire width of the mop cover, and said counter-surface is formed with two pressure elements disposed substantially coaxially in relation to one another and forming a gap axially therebetween.
 24. The device according to claim 21, wherein said squeezing drum and said counter-surface are formed by rollers, and said rollers are rotatably supported on bearing shafts by way of plain bearings or ball bearings.
 25. The device according to claim 22, wherein said drive is a rotary drive acting on at least one of said squeezing drum and said counter-surface.
 26. The device according to claim 21, wherein at least one of said squeezing drum and said counter-surface are movably disposed for movement toward a spring element from a given mutual distance position to increase said through gap.
 27. The device according to claim 21, wherein said squeezing drum is mounted on a bearing shaft, and said bearing shaft is guided for displacement towards said counter-surface and eccentrically mounted in an eccentric that is configured to be rotated and to be fixed for forming a disk cam, and said eccentric adjoins a fixed bearing block.
 28. The device according to claim 27, wherein said bearing shaft is guided for displacement in longitudinal holes by bearing plates disposed respectively at ends thereof.
 29. The device according to claim 27, wherein said bearing shaft is supported in displaceably guided slotted blocks.
 30. The device according to claim 27, which comprises a knob non-rotatably connected to said eccentric, and mounted coaxially with said bearing shaft of said squeezing drum, for adjusting a width of said through gap.
 31. The device according to claim 21, wherein said squeezing drum is disposed on an articulated pressure lever, and an adjusting element with a knob is connected to adjust a position of said pressure lever.
 32. The device according to claim 31, wherein said adjusting element is a threaded rod, at least in a sub-area thereof, guided in a threaded hole of a fixed bearing element.
 33. The device according to claim 31, wherein said pressure lever is a twin-arm lever having a first end connected to said squeezing drum and a second end with said adjusting element articulated thereon.
 34. The device according to claim 21, which comprises an electromechanical actuator disposed to move said squeezing drum for adjusting said through gap.
 35. The device according to claim 34, wherein said electromechanical actuator is driven by an electric motor or an electromagnet.
 36. The device according to claim 34, wherein said electromechanical actuator is a memory metal with a reset spring.
 37. The device according to claim 34, which further comprises a force sensor for determining a pressure force of said squeezing drum, said force sensor providing a measured value for display on a display unit and/or for activating said electromechanical actuator.
 38. The device according to claim 37, wherein said force sensor is a strain gage disposed on said spring element or on said lever.
 39. The device according to claim 37, wherein said force sensor is a piezoelectric element disposed on a bearing of said squeezing drum or on said counter-surface.
 40. The device according to claim 34, which comprises a memory for storing and retrieving preferred distance values.
 41. The device according to claim 21, which comprises a sensor for determining a residual moisture in the mop cover. 